In general, this invention relates to devices for supporting or holding malleable or fragile articles which must be firmly gripped for repair, rework, maintenance, building, or any other operation, to prevent the article from being bent, nicked, or otherwise harmed while the operation is performed. More particularly, this invention relates to: (a) a relatively rigid device for holding a cylindrical tapered shaft which can be used to prevent the shaft from being damaged while it is firmly gripped, or which can be used to detect a curvature in the shaft; and (b) a method of holding a cylindrical tapered shaft with such a device so that operations requiring the shaft to be firmly supported, can be performed.
Many articles have tapered shafts which can be damaged if gripped too firmly by a clamp-support apparatus or gripping means such as a vise grip, brace, or clamp. Golf clubs, bicycle frames, furniture, and some sporting racquets are just a few of the articles which have straight tapered tubular sections or shafts that are held in vise grips, braces, or clamps while the article is repaired, reworked, built, or otherwise operated upon. Instruments and attachments for holding the shafts of articles are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,533,541 issued to A. Warring; 4,616,749 issued to Briggs; 2,985,462 issued to H. O. Stamp; and 3,995,743 issued to Blackburne. There exists a resilient golf club shaft gripping tool, solely made of a rubber compound, which has a single untapered right circular cylindrical hole through it and two slits. One of the slits cuts through the tool from the hole to an outside wall and the other slit is located diagonally across the hole from the first slit. The slits act to allow the tool to be pried apart so that a shaft can be pressed into the hole. The tool was designed to be used as a gripping instrument. However, applying pressure to the tool by a clamp-support apparatus will cause the tool to deform, possibly damaging the shaft held within.
None of the known instruments, attachments, or tools are designed (a) to be gripped by a clamp-support apparatus or (b) to prevent a tapered tube or shaft from being damaged if firmly gripped by a clamp-support apparatus. None of these known instruments, attachments, or tools can adequately prevent a tapered tube or shaft from being damaged if firmly gripped by a clamp-support apparatus. Since this is so, many maintenance operations must either be done professionally by a shop having the proper equipment or done by hand. For example, if the owner of a set of golf clubs wants to replace a golf club handgrip, it is generally done by hand to ensure that the club shafts are not damaged. Replacing handgrips by hand is a difficult and tedious task. There is, thus, a need for a device which will allow a tapered shaft to be gripped by a clamp-support apparatus without damaging the shaft; and furthermore, there is a particular need for a simple device that will allow a tapered golf club shaft to be held in a clamp-support apparatus while its handgrip is replaced.